ALAMEDA, Calif. _ Jon Gruden owes his NFL career to the West Coast Offense, and now he's trusting that offense to Raiders' quarterback Derek Carr.
So ignore the pomp and circumstance of Gruden's introductory press conference as the Raiders' new head coach Tuesday. Gruden was re-hired as the Raiders' head coach for many reasons _ Raiders owner Mark Davis admitted that he's been trying to hire Gruden since he took over the franchise six years ago, and had no problem using the word "infatuated" when discussing his quest to land him _ but the Raiders' franchise is counting on Gruden, a so-called offensive guru, and his West Coast system, to fix what ailed Carr in 2017.
They need to get to work fast _ 2018 is a critical season for the Raiders franchise, and success or failure next fall will likely eminate from the success or failure of the arranged marriage between one of the highest-paid coaches in NFL history, Gruden, and one of the highest-paid players in NFL history, Carr.
It really is that simple.
No pressure.
Gruden said all the right things about his new quarterback on Tuesday, though no one should have expected anything different.
He was adamant that Carr still has massive potential:
"He has a great arm talent. He's athletic. He's got natural leadership skills. He's young. He's in his prime. He's healthy now," Gruden said. "I think that he's got a huge upside."
He even said that he'd tailor his offense to fit Carr _ answering a big question ahead of Tuesday's presser:
"I think there's a huge ceiling for Derek Carr, he's proven that. It's on us, as a coaching staff, to improve around him ... and come up with an offense that really allows him to soar, into another level. I think if I was a Raider fan, I'd come to the stadium every week very excited to see No. 4 under center."
What more could Carr ask for? In Gruden, he has a coach who believes in his abilities and he'll be playing in a system that an innovative coach is creating to fit those abilities.
Good news, right? In a league where success is often dictated by head coaches and quarterbacks, it seems like these two are going to be making beautiful music together.
It's possible, but we'll see: Carr still needs to learn the system and earn Gruden's trust.
Gruden is a perfectionist when it comes to his offense, and he has demanded perfection from his quarterback in the past. Gruden believes his system _ the one he learned from Mike Holmgren, who was taught it by Bill Walsh _ is the best the game has to offer, and when you see the success of it around the league, even today, it's hard to argue that he's wrong.
And while it's been a while since Gruden was on the sideline _ perhaps Gruden he's no longer this way, though Tuesday showed no indication for such a thing _ the Raiders' old/new head coach has shown little patience for quarterbacks who lack poise and who aren't as committed to film study and obsessed with the details as him. Gruden is a taskmaster, and he wants his quarterbacks to be on-field offensive coordinators.
Learning Gruden's offense and getting onto the head coach's level with it is no small endeavor for Carr _ and then he has to translate what he's learned in "the classroom" to the field. For a quarterback who has thrived in collegiate, spread looks and has frankly struggled in West Coast concepts, that's no small endeavor.
Former Raiders' quarterback Rich Gannon, in attendance for Tuesday's presser, didn't mince words about that challenge for Carr:
"I don't care how hard Derek has worked before _ he's going to have to change his work habits a little bit to fit in."
"He needs to take more ownership and be more demanding."
Indeed, the West Coast Offense demands an incredible attention to detail _ in the past, play calls are typically long and ornate, and Gruden has been known to install more than 200 passing plays every week. Gannon thrived in the system not because of his athletic ability (which was underrated) but because of his study habits. That requirement is unlikely to change, no matter how Gruden tailors the offense to fit Carr's skills.
Gannon also said Tuesday that he believes that Carr could be a Hall of Famer in Gruden's system, and he didn't deny that he might help Carr through the process of navigating the West Coast Offense, continuing speculation that Gannon could join Gruden's staff as quarterbacks coach in the near future.
Gruden has already hired an offensive coordinator: Los Angeles Rams quarterback coach _ and former Raiders' offensive coordinator _ Greg Olson, though Gruden affirmed on Tuesday that he will call plays.
Olson worked with Carr in the quarterback's rookie season, and Gruden acknowledged the importance of that relationship:
"His intel there will be very important," the Raiders' new coach said. "The system of football that we run _ there will be a real natural flow."
But Gruden, for all his praise and positivity, didn't leave the dais Tuesday without issuing a challenge (albeit a passive-aggressive one) of his own to the quarterback:
"I think that Greg Olson and the system that we put in place is going to demand a lot of him _ I think that's what's going to unlock the greatness in him."
